We all know that shopping for a new swimsuit is at the top of most women’s fashionista list. For 2018, the Summer swimwear trends cover just about every possible aspect in styling imaginable. Thus, your personality will play a major role in your choice of bathing suits this coming year.

Finding the right swimsuit can be a very daunting task unless you know exactly what you want. Basically, it all comes down to doing your homework ahead of time to aid your selection-making process. To assist you in your quest, I have reached out to fashion experts Paris Skytower of Luxe Paris; Amalia Rainwood from Addams; Liziaah from Liziaah-Boutique and Nice Wildrose of Wild Fashion Beauty.

I am pleased to offer a sneak peek into a few of their new 2018 Spring & Summer swimsuit collections for all you fashion-forward and style savvy women.

Looking back into the history books, a small bathing suit named the “Atome” was the world’s first bikini. It made its shocking debut at a poolside fashion show in Paris on July 5, 1946, four days after the United States had begun atomic testing on the small Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.

BOOM! Its revealing cut was so scandalous and so unthinkable back then that even the original French fashion models (who were first selected to model it) refused to wear such a risqué piece in public – leaving the original designer, Jacques Heim, to enlist the services of a stripper to model it.

This original swimsuit design was ubiquitous and so comparatively demure by contrast to today’s fashion that it’s difficult to imagine how shocking people once found it.

This Summer, the 2018 swimwear trends cover every possible twist that you can seemingly imagine. From sunbathers to models to the more modest – these new trends strategically cover it all.

Confidence is sexy and fortunately here in SL we don’t have to be too concerned about picking out wedgies or losing our tops in the waves. Instead, we can focus on our search to find the perfect killer swimsuit to strut and cavort along the SL beaches and poolsides like we own them. Now that Spring has arrived with pool and beach activities just around the corner, always remember that beauty is power and your bikini is its sword.

String bikinis are not incredibly complex. Although they might be considered as more of a vehicle of revelation for showing off a great butt, these scintillating pieces of woven floss and tiny little triangles are, oh so much more. Risqué and stunning, this Liziaah Iris Bikini cleverly utilizes scant stringed triangle top and bottoms with banding, floral patterns and a strategically placed bow to deliver that “Ooh La La” breath-taking and revealing look.

When asked about her design approach, Liziaah replied, “I give the same attention to detail [to my swimwear] as I do with my other pieces during their construction. It’s not just a little piece but rather the embodiment of my passions.”

The comeback of the one piece is in full force – the new designs are absolutely stunning with HUD options to flatter everyone. It is no wonder that the Polka Dot patterns have remained in vogue for so long. This sizzling hot and risqué Parisian Monokini by Nice Wildrose of WILD Fashion, with its Polka Dot HUD texture options, is living proof as to why this look will definitely be popular this coming season.

When asked about the influences to her work, Wildrose replied, “I am totally inspired by Roberto Cavalli, the Italian label known for animal prints, patchworks, glamorous prints and glamazons. Cavalli’s prints move me to create my own unique kind of creations. Studying and exploring the theories behind one’s emotions, I have learned the importance of embracing my sexuality while not being afraid of my emotions.”

With 15 imaginative HUD textures to choose from, I also selected this gorgeous blue shimmer and shine texture to model. With this Parisian Monokini, I had a difficult time deciding upon which one to select – since all of Wild’s patterns are killer.

By far, Addams has been a long-standing staple in the SL Fashion Marketplace and known for their attention to detail and quality of products. When asked about their creative design influences for the 2018 trends, Amaila Rainwood responded, “This creation from Addams was inspired from the real world, with the uniqueness of the design sure to make you stand out.”

The plunging neckline of this Addam’s Andrea Swimsuit is one such example, adding personality and sass to your strut. Without a doubt, it is certainly one of the best swimwear looks for this year.

The cut flows beautifully from top to bottom and is impeccably well-crafted with its exquisite piping. From the back it looks like a bikini but from the front it is oh so much more.

Retro high-cut swimsuits with strappy and risqué high-cut bottoms in lively metallic animal print patterns will definitely be leading the trends. From the fashion town of Bedrock, this Luxe Paris DELIMA Bikini exemplifies this look with its gorgeous frill and ruffled top and itsy-bitsy bottoms

”Swimwear trends are so exciting this summer so we went all out for it,” says LUXE Paris designer, Parisian Skytower. “The DELIMA bikini exploits the one-shoulder trend with a wink to the Flintstone Ladies. The Delima (Wilma in French) Bikini is an elegant version made with fabrics from the stone-age cave that have “gone down in history.”

To say a romantic aesthetic spills over to this coming Summer is an understatement by the look of this Luxe Paris DEESSE Bikini & Sarong. Its wrapped string styling with its sheer-patterned sarong will certainly be a hit this Summer.

“For the Deesse Bikini, we chose a very brilliant lilac and a sarong in harmony, in reference to the pastel colors which are very fashionable this summer,” Skytower adds.

Swimsuits with tassels and metals will unmistakably be a summer 2018 swimsuit trend. This Luxe Paris Beaded One Piece using subtle beaded back ties for its top makes it fun, creative and visually practical. Its front center metal ring tie provides it with a super sexy and fresh look.

With respect to her new Beaded One Piece, Skytower goes on to say, “We celebrate the big return of the beaded and buckled one-piece, which leaves nothing to envy to the bikini with its very plunging neckline and generous cut outs.”

The off-shoulder cuts are still very much in vogue and gaining momentum. One-shoulder swimsuits such as this sexy monochromatic LUXE Paris STERLING two-piece bikini are infused with a fresh new take. Its asymmetric one-shoulder ruffled top and strappy bottoms make it cute, fun and different.

Hailed as vintage godsend, high-waisted two pieces are among this summer’s favorite tends. This two-piece Addams Retro Bikini Top & Shorts by Amalia Rainwood with its HUD Driven smartly paneled & tied high waist bottom and bralette top is a must in your wardrobe. I love the HUDs versatile front and side panel pattern choices along with the 10 lace and border color options.

Multi Skinny String wrapped ties with banding are definitely making a big splash this season with both one and two pieces headlining the trends, Case in point is this marvelous one-two punch combination Addams Mariela tiered Irregular Shorts with Sirena multi string banded top. Its intelligent HUD-driven menu allowed me to go color blocking with trendy soft pastels then accenting the banding and straps of the top in smart dark gray contrasting hues.

If you see one of these bathing suits that you really like in this article – Get it. Wear it. Love it. Part of what makes a swimsuit so great is the confidence, the fun and locations associated with wearing it. Life is definitely better in a bikini!

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A Man and a Chair

One spring night, Mind Carlberg was hanging out, minding his own business, when suddenly he had the urge to rez two walls and a chair. He was feeling especially happy, so he took off his clothes and started taking pictures of himself around the chair. Of the more than one hundred pictures he took that night, he framed 24, mounted an exhibit and then invited his friends to take their own pictures.

The response he got has been amazing. There are now more than one hundred self-portraits in the exhibit, all of them based on a simple idea: a chair and a naked body. And very fittingly, the installation is mounted in the Buried Man sim, a place devoted to exploring all kinds of artistic manifestations.

Would you be interested? Come to and take a look at Naked with a Chair. If you are so inclined... be a part of it too. But even if you don’t, you’ll want to see what so many people have done with that chair. And you’ll have a great time watching all the other installations around the sim.

by Coco St. George

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